I was also thinking of the cyan in that 1k range (although Iād likely wait for the cyan 2 to come out first), havenāt heard the frerot but I have heard their DAC1 and that was solid so going off that it seems like it would be a nice pick for the price as well. The MHDT dacs around 1k ish like the orchid can also be fun. But outside of that Iād agree there arenāt that many r2r dacs right around 1k, you kinda have to go higher to start getting into more of them (especially discrete r2r since a lot of the 1k ish ones are chip r2r vs discrete, which doesnāt matter all that much, but still something to note)
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I would say that, although both the TT and the Airist have good imagining and separation, the Airist seemed to make the instruments sound more three dimensional. Iām a drummer so drum presentation particularly stands out to me.
I currently have a Cayin IHA-6 (my favourite, primary music listening amp), a Master 19, a Singxer SA-1 (though I keep on threatening to sell this) and a Little Dot mk. III with King Tubes.
I have two set-up, living room and bedroom. Bedroom is primarily gaming and a bit of music. living room is primarily music listening and then movie watching. Iām thinking the Hugo will be moved into my bedroom when I have found a more capable R2R.
Unfortunately I find it hard to articulate what Iām after as Iām still new to this hifi game. I just keep on buying gear and eventually settle on certain things, like my Cayin and HE500. I think a more capable R2R may be the final piece of the puzzle! ā¦for now 
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Gotcha, in that case, I think around that price point Iād personally look into a holo cyan pcm or a denafrips ares ii since those stand out as being pretty holographic (although not the most natural) staging. I would say the Holo is a bit of a step up from the ares ii, but the ares ii is still pretty solid. Both also have a tonality thatās imo closer to the airist than the tt (vs the aforementioned soekris which has a tuning more like the TT as itās on the cleaner and more neutral side of things). You shouldnāt have any issues with amp pairing with either since both should have good synergy with your amps (but the ares ii potentially could get a bit harsh on the master 19 if memory serves correct on that amp)
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Thanks for the information. Looks like I can pick up an Ares II for about Ā£650 new so that may be the most sensible one to look at. Holo Audio kit seems to be tricky to buy in the UK. Though thereās a May on eBay right now 
Iāll see where my wallet will allow me to venture 
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Ah thatās a nice dac lol, enjoyed mine when I had it. Although thereās a lot of pretty awesome options in that range too
Will be curious on your thoughts if you pick up an ares ii
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folks, a quick questionā¦ I am hunting down an Airist here in Germany, posted a search note on local classifieds, and getting a lot of obvious scam offers but a few ones which seem kinda legit but claim a strange date of initial purchase. so, when was the last time it was possible to buy an Airist from the seller?
If memory serves me right should be around end of 2019 beginning of 2020, but maybe someone here knows better
Otherwise good luck trying to find a r2r for a good price here in Germany i did look for nearly a year to get a bf2 for under new price 
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I literally just sold mine yesterday. Iām in the UK so it wouldnāt have been too bad to ship to you over there. The fella who bought it off me ā¦Australia!
I saw your listing, but found the price a bit on the high side, especially given Iād have to pay VAT+duties.
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bloody scammers claiming to be the first owners of devices bought as late as December 2021 
The buyer chose to use eBayās GSP to ship it. Then with tax on top ā¦you shouldāve seen his final bill - terrifying! Still, worth it for an R-2R.
Iām afraid to even think about it I am actually leaning towards Audio-GD R2R 11 now which seems to be easier to get, albeit slightly āwarmerā sounding according to reviews. I could also use a good SE headamp.
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the Airist, the R2R 11 and perhaps the entry level Soekris seem to be the only options available to dip oneās toes into the R2R.